SLASHER Films (Classical Era 1974-1993)
by drneglector-34198 | created - 07 Feb 2021 | updated - 3 weeks ago | PublicA slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed tools.
Critics cite the Italian giallo films (which are their own subgenre and not included in this list) and psychological horror films such as Peeping Tom (1960) and Psycho (1960) as early influences.
The genre hit its peak between 1978 and 1984 in an era referred to as the "Golden Age" of slasher films. Notable slasher films include The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Black Christmas (1974), Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Child's Play (1988), Candyman (1992) and Scream (1996).
Many slasher films released decades ago continue to attract cult followings.
The slasher canon is divided into three eras: the classical (1974–1993), the self-referential (1994–2000) and the neoslasher cycle (2000–2013).
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1. Night of the Dark Full Moon (1972)
R | 81 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A man inherits a mansion which once was a mental home. He visits the place and begins to investigate some crimes that happened in old times, scaring the people living in the region.
Director: Theodore Gershuny | Stars: Patrick O'Neal, James Patterson, Mary Woronov, Astrid Heeren
Votes: 4,897
Considered a predecessor to the slasher film genre.
2. Black Christmas (1974)
R | 98 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
During their Christmas break, a group of sorority girls are stalked by a stranger.
Director: Bob Clark | Stars: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, John Saxon
Votes: 48,364 | Gross: $4.05M
3. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
R | 83 min | Horror
Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.
Director: Tobe Hooper | Stars: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain
Votes: 183,691 | Gross: $30.86M
Cinema-goers walked out of theaters in disgust and in 1976, two theaters in Ottawa, Canada, were advised by local police to withdraw the film lest they face morality charges.
The film was banned for periods in many countries.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is considered one of the greatest — and most controversial — horror films of all time and a major influence on the genre.
4. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)
Approved | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
The story of a hooded, berserk killer who terrorized the border town of Texarkana, Arkansas in 1946--leaving no fewer than five murder victims in his wake. He was never caught. Based on one of America's most baffling murder cases.
Director: Charles B. Pierce | Stars: Ben Johnson, Andrew Prine, Dawn Wells, Jimmy Clem
Votes: 9,791
5. The Toolbox Murders (1978)
R | 93 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A ski-masked maniac kills apartment complex tenants with the contents of a toolbox.
Director: Dennis Donnelly | Stars: Cameron Mitchell, Pamelyn Ferdin, Wesley Eure, Nicolas Beauvy
Votes: 4,928
Briefly banned in the early 1980s in the United Kingdom during the "video nasty" panic.
VIPCO released an edited DVD in 2000.
88 Films released an uncut version in 2017.
It has been cited by horror writer Stephen King as one of his favorite horror films.
6. Halloween (1978)
R | 91 min | Horror, Thriller
Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.
Director: John Carpenter | Stars: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tony Moran, Nancy Kyes
Votes: 306,844 | Gross: $47.00M
The first slasher to become a huge box office hit.
The blueprint for all slashers and the model against which all subsequent films are judged.
Hugely responsible for the new wave of horror that emerged during the 1980s.
Jamie Lee Curtis's film debut!
7. Savage Weekend (1979)
R | 88 min | Horror
Several couples head upstate to the country to watch a boat being built. Unfortunately they are stalked by a murderer behind a ghoulish mask.
Directors: David Paulsen, John Mason Kirby | Stars: Christopher Allport, Jim Doerr, David Gale, Devin Goldenberg
Votes: 1,809
8. He Knows You're Alone (1980)
R | 94 min | Horror, Thriller
A young bride-to-be is being stalked upon by a serial killer in Staten Island. She gets help from a former lover, but will they manage to escape?
Director: Armand Mastroianni | Stars: Don Scardino, Caitlin O'Heaney, Elizabeth Kemp, Tom Rolfing
Votes: 4,243
9. Friday the 13th (1980)
R | 95 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A group of teenage camp counselors attempt to re-open an abandoned summer camp with a tragic past, but they are stalked by a mysterious, relentless killer.
Director: Sean S. Cunningham | Stars: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan
Votes: 157,484 | Gross: $39.75M
Friday the 13th was the first independent slasher film to be acquired by a major motion picture studio and it became a huge box office success.
As of 2018, Friday the 13th has spawned ten sequels.
10. Prom Night (1980)
R | 92 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
At a high-school senior prom, a masked killer stalks four teenagers who were responsible for the accidental death of a classmate six years previously.
Director: Paul Lynch | Stars: Leslie Nielsen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Casey Stevens, Anne-Marie Martin
Votes: 20,930 | Gross: $14.80M
Another influential slasher film of the 1980s.
Starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Leslie Nielsen!
11. Terror Train (1980)
R | 97 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Three years after a prank went terribly awry, the six college students responsible are targeted by a masked killer at a New Year's Eve party aboard a moving train.
Director: Roger Spottiswoode | Stars: Ben Johnson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Hart Bochner, David Copperfield
Votes: 13,852
12. Christmas Evil (1980)
R | 100 min | Horror, Thriller
A toy factory worker, mentally scarred as a child upon learning Santa Claus is not real, suffers a nervous breakdown after being belittled at work, and embarks on a Yuletide killing spree.
Director: Lewis Jackson | Stars: Brandon Maggart, Jeffrey DeMunn, Dianne Hull, Andy Fenwick
Votes: 8,574
13. To All a Goodnight (1980)
R | 87 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A group of teenagers at a party find themselves being stalked by a maniacal killer in a Santa Claus costume.
Director: David Hess | Stars: Jennifer Runyon, Forrest Swonsen, Linda Gentile, William Lauer
Votes: 2,356
14. Maniac (1980)
18+ | 87 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A psychopathic man goes on a killing and mutilation spree in New York City.
Director: William Lustig | Stars: Joe Spinell, Caroline Munro, Abigail Clayton, Kelly Piper
Votes: 20,219
Originally considered an exploitation film. With a minuscule budget, many scenes in the film were shot guerrilla style.
While not prosecuted for obscenity nor officially listed as a video nasty, Maniac was seized by various police forces across Greater Manchester and Lancashire during the video nasty panic, presumably based on the film's notorious reputation overseas.
15. New Year's Evil (1980)
R | 85 min | Horror, Thriller
During a New Year's Eve celebration, a Los Angeles disc jockey receives a phone call saying that when New Year's strikes in each time zone, someone will be murdered - and she will be the last one.
Director: Emmett Alston | Stars: Roz Kelly, Kip Niven, Chris Wallace, Grant Cramer
Votes: 3,845
16. Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
R | 87 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Five years after the events of the first film, a summer camp next to the infamous Camp Crystal Lake is preparing to open, but the legend of Jason is weighing heavy on the proceedings.
Director: Steve Miner | Stars: Betsy Palmer, Amy Steel, John Furey, Adrienne King
Votes: 77,784 | Gross: $21.72M
Set five years after the events of Friday the 13th, the plot again follows a group of camp counselors who arrive at a training camp near Crystal Lake, only to be murdered one by one.
17. My Bloody Valentine (1981)
R | 90 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A decades-old folk tale surrounding a deranged murderer killing those who celebrate Valentine's Day turns out to be true to legend when a group defies the killer's order and people start turning up dead.
Director: George Mihalka | Stars: Paul Kelman, Lori Hallier, Neil Affleck, Keith Knight
Votes: 25,107 | Gross: $5.67M
Even after cutting the film to match the requirements made by the MPAA, it was again returned with an X-rating and further cuts were demanded.
Even today the complete uncut version has not been released (though the 2009 DVD and Blu-ray release by Lionsgate reinstated three minutes of excised footage).
18. Bloody Birthday (1981)
R | 85 min | Horror, Thriller
Three children are born at the height of an eclipse of the sun. Ten years later, they begin to murder the people around them - even their family members.
Director: Ed Hunt | Stars: Lori Lethin, Melinda Cordell, Julie Brown, Joe Penny
Votes: 5,671
19. The Burning (1981)
R | 91 min | Horror
A former summer camp caretaker, horribly burned from a prank gone wrong, lurks around an upstate New York summer camp bent on killing the teenagers responsible for his disfigurement.
Director: Tony Maylam | Stars: Brian Matthews, Leah Ayres, Brian Backer, Larry Joshua
Votes: 22,287
The Burning was heavily trimmed to receive its R-rating. VIPCO released a cut version in the early 1990s, missing about thirty seconds' worth of Savini's gore effects, but by 2001 the censor board was ready to pass the uncut version.
20. Graduation Day (1981)
R | 96 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A masked killer begins murdering students on the school track team after a track runner dies upon completion of a 30 second 200-meter race.
Director: Herb Freed | Stars: Christopher George, Patch Mackenzie, E. Danny Murphy, E.J. Peaker
Votes: 4,890 | Gross: $23.89M
21. Madman (1981)
R | 88 min | Horror, Thriller
A legendary psychopathic murderer stalks a summer camp.
Director: Joe Giannone | Stars: Gaylen Ross, Tony Nunziata, Harriet Bass, Seth Jones
Votes: 6,742
22. Hell Night (1981)
R | 101 min | Horror, Thriller
Four college pledges are forced to spend the night in a deserted old mansion, where they are stalked by the monstrous survivor of a family massacre years earlier.
Director: Tom DeSimone | Stars: Linda Blair, Vincent Van Patten, Peter Barton, Kevin Brophy
Votes: 8,771
23. Final Exam (1981)
R | 89 min | Horror, Thriller
A psycho killer shows up on college campus to slash up pretty co-eds and dumb jocks.
Director: Jimmy Huston | Stars: Cecile Bagdadi, Joel S. Rice, Ralph Brown, DeAnna Robbins
Votes: 4,624
24. Night School (1981)
R | 88 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Who's been decapitating the innocent girls at a local night school? The police are baffled.
Director: Ken Hughes | Stars: Leonard Mann, Rachel Ward, Drew Snyder, Joseph R. Sicari
Votes: 3,254 | Gross: $1.17M
In England, Night School became a video nasty.
25. Student Bodies (1981)
R | 86 min | Comedy, Horror, Mystery
A serial killer with his signature heavy breathing proceeds to systematically kill the students and teachers of Lamab high school.
Directors: Mickey Rose, Michael Ritchie | Stars: Kristen Riter, Matthew Goldsby, Jerry Belson, Joe Flood
Votes: 5,366 | Gross: $5.17M
26. Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1981)
R | 96 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An orphaned teenager finds himself being dominated by his aunt who's hell-bent on keeping him with her...at all costs.
Director: William Asher | Stars: Jimmy McNichol, Susan Tyrrell, Bo Svenson, Marcia Lewis
Votes: 4,844
27. The Prowler (1981)
R | 89 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An unknown killer, clad in World War II U.S. Army fatigues, stalks a small California town, bent on reliving a 35 year-old double murder by focusing on a group of college kids holding an annual graduation dance.
Director: Joseph Zito | Stars: Vicky Dawson, Christopher Goutman, Lawrence Tierney, Farley Granger
Votes: 13,005
What the film lacks in narrative drive, coherence, and performance, it makes up with thoughtful lighting, strong cinematography, and, of course, Savini’s lovingly overblown and impossible splatter effects.
28. Nightmare (1981)
R | 97 min | Horror
A mental patient embarks on a murder spree upon escaping from an institution.
Director: Romano Scavolini | Stars: Baird Stafford, Sharon Smith, C.J. Cooke, Mik Cribben
Votes: 4,433
29. Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror
In a small Southern town, four vigilantes wrongfully execute a mentally-challenged man, but after the court sets them free mysterious "accidents" begin to kill them off one by one.
Director: Frank De Felitta | Stars: Charles Durning, Robert F. Lyons, Claude Earl Jones, Lane Smith
Votes: 8,212
30. Halloween II (1981)
R | 92 min | Horror
While Dr. Loomis hunts for Michael Myers, a traumatized Laurie is rushed to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, and The Shape is not far behind her.
Director: Rick Rosenthal | Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, Charles Cyphers, Jeffrey Kramer
Votes: 101,715 | Gross: $25.53M
Though Carpenter and Hill co-wrote the screenplay to the sequel, Carpenter was reluctant to extend his involvement and refused to direct, instead appointing the direction to Rosenthal.
The film picks up right at the end of the cliffhanger ending of the original film and was intended to finish the story of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode. It also introduces the plot twist of Laurie Strode being the sister of Michael Myers, a feature that would form the narrative arc of the series in subsequent films.
31. The Funhouse (1981)
R | 96 min | Horror
Four teenagers visit a local carnival for a night of innocent amusement, but soon discover that nothing there is innocent or amusing.
Director: Tobe Hooper | Stars: Elizabeth Berridge, Shawn Carson, Jeanne Austin, Jack McDermott
Votes: 16,285 | Gross: $7.89M
32. Happy Birthday to Me (1981)
R | 110 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
At the snobby Crawford Academy, Virginia's group of friends start to go missing years after horrible events that happened to her as a child around her birthday.
Director: J. Lee Thompson | Stars: Melissa Sue Anderson, Glenn Ford, Lawrence Dane, Sharon Acker
Votes: 11,234
33. Eyes of a Stranger (1981)
R | 84 min | Horror, Thriller
A news anchorwoman begins to suspect a man living in the same apartment complex as her to be the serial killer that's been raping and killing women in the Miami area.
Director: Ken Wiederhorn | Stars: Lauren Tewes, Jennifer Jason Leigh, John DiSanti, Peter DuPre
Votes: 3,181 | Gross: $1.12M
34. Bloody Moon (1981)
Not Rated | 90 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Girls are killed at a language-school in Spain.
Director: Jesús Franco | Stars: Olivia Pascal, Christoph Moosbrugger, Nadja Gerganoff, Jasmin Losensky
Votes: 2,789
AKA Bloody Moon.
English-language Spanish-German slasher film directed by Jesús Franco and starring Olivia Pascal.
35. Just Before Dawn (1981)
R | 90 min | Horror, Thriller
Five young people venture into the backwoods of Oregon to claim a property, and find themselves being stalked by a hulking, machete-wielding psychopath.
Director: Jeff Lieberman | Stars: George Kennedy, Mike Kellin, Chris Lemmon, Gregg Henry
Votes: 7,143
36. Friday the 13th: Part 3 (1982)
R | 95 min | Horror, Thriller
Jason Voorhees stalks a group of friends who have just arrived to spend the weekend at a cabin near Crystal Lake.
Director: Steve Miner | Stars: Dana Kimmell, Tracie Savage, Richard Brooker, Terry Ballard
Votes: 60,428 | Gross: $36.69M
Set directly after the events of Friday the 13th Part 2, the plot follows a teenage girl and her friends who go on a trip at a house near Crystal Lake, only to be murdered one by one.
The film marks the debut of Jason wearing his signature hockey mask, which has become a trademark of both the character and the franchise, as well as an icon in American cinema and the horror genre in general.
37. The House on Sorority Row (1982)
R | 91 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
After a seemingly innocent prank goes horribly wrong, a group of sorority sisters are stalked and murdered one by one in their sorority house while throwing a party to celebrate their graduation.
Director: Mark Rosman | Stars: Kate McNeil, Eileen Davidson, Janis Ward, Robin Meloy
Votes: 9,981 | Gross: $1.29M
The House on Sorority Row was named one of the greatest slasher films of all time by Complex in 2017.
38. Girls Nite Out (1982)
R | 96 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
At a remote Ohio college, a killer dressed in the school's bear mascot suit stalks several young women participating in an all-night scavenger hunt.
Director: Robert Deubel | Stars: Julia Montgomery, James Carroll, Suzanne Barnes, Rutanya Alda
Votes: 1,950
39. Blood Song (1982)
R | 89 min | Horror, Thriller
A psychopath escapes from a mental institution and starts a murder spree, which ends in the pursuing of a young handicapped girl, who once got a blood transfusion from him.
Director: Alan J. Levi | Stars: Donna Wilkes, Richard Jaeckel, Antoinette Bower, Dane Clark
Votes: 604
40. Humongous (1982)
R | 97 min | Horror, Mystery, Romance
"Humongous" tells the tale of when the monstrous offspring of a violent criminal grow up in seclusion on a remote island. Then year later, a boat-full of teens become shipwrecked on the island, unaware of what is lurking in the woods.
Director: Paul Lynch | Stars: Janet Julian, David Wysocki, John Wildman, Janit Baldwin
Votes: 2,184
41. Alone in the Dark (1982)
R | 92 min | Horror, Thriller
A few dangerous and delusional mental patients break out of a mental asylum during a power blackout, and lay siege to their new doctor's house, who, they believe, killed their previous doctor.
Director: Jack Sholder | Stars: Jack Palance, Donald Pleasence, Martin Landau, Dwight Schultz
Votes: 6,994
42. Visiting Hours (1982)
R | 103 min | Horror, Thriller
A deranged, misogynistic killer assaults a journalist. When he discovers that she survived the attack, he follows her to the hospital to finish her off.
Director: Jean-Claude Lord | Stars: Michael Ironside, Lee Grant, Linda Purl, William Shatner
Votes: 4,835 | Gross: $13.26M
43. Death Screams (1982)
R | 88 min | Horror
In a small town in North Carolina, a group of friends are stalked by a mysterious, machete wielding maniac.
Director: David Nelson | Stars: Susan Kiger, Martin Tucker, William Hicks, Jennifer Chase
Votes: 1,209
44. The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)
R | 77 min | Horror
A female high school student's slumber party turns into a bloodbath, as a newly escaped psychotic serial killer wielding a power drill prowls her neighborhood.
Director: Amy Holden Jones | Stars: Michele Michaels, Robin Stille, Michael Villella, Debra De Liso
Votes: 17,905
The film was originally written by Brown as a parody of the slasher genre but was shot as a straightforward horror film instead. As a result, it contains more humor, both intended and unintended, than usual for the genre at the time.
It was followed by two sequels.
45. The Dorm That Dripped Blood (1982)
R | 88 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Four college students are stalked by an unknown assailant while staying on campus over the Christmas holidays to help clear out a dormitory which is to be demolished.
Directors: Stephen Carpenter, Jeffrey Obrow | Stars: Laurie Lapinski, Stephen Sachs, David Snow, Pamela Holland
Votes: 2,464
46. Sleepaway Camp (1983)
R | 84 min | Horror
Bunks and showers are a mad stabber's beat at a summer camp strictly for teens.
Director: Robert Hiltzik | Stars: Felissa Rose, Jonathan Tiersten, Karen Fields, Christopher Collet
Votes: 38,075 | Gross: $11.00M
Released during the genre's heyday, the film is known for its infamous twist ending, considered to be one of the genre's most shocking.
It was followed by three sequels.
47. Curtains (1983)
R | 89 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Six young actresses auditioning for a movie role at a remote mansion are targeted by a mysterious masked murderer.
Director: Richard Ciupka | Stars: John Vernon, Samantha Eggar, Linda Thorson, Anne Ditchburn
Votes: 5,735
Conceived by producer Peter R. Simpson after his box office hit Prom Night (1980), the film was intended to be an "adult" slasher aimed at older audiences in contrast to the standard genre films of the time, which featured predominately teenaged characters.
48. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
R | 91 min | Horror
Teenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life.
Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund, John Saxon
Votes: 262,583 | Gross: $25.50M
Supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven, considered an instant commercial success.
Considered to be one of the greatest horror films ever made, spawning a franchise consisting of six sequels, a television series, a crossover with Friday the 13th, and various other merchandise.
Johnny Depp's film debut!
49. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
R | 91 min | Horror, Thriller
After being announced dead and taken to a morgue, Jason Voorhees spontaneously revives, escapes from the hospital, and stalks a group of friends renting a house in the countryside near Crystal Lake.
Director: Joseph Zito | Stars: Erich Anderson, Judie Aronson, Peter Barton, Kimberly Beck
Votes: 59,183 | Gross: $32.98M
4th installment in the Friday the 13th film series.
Picking up immediately after the events of Part III, the plot follows a presumed-dead Jason Voorhees who escapes from the morgue and returns to Crystal Lake to continue his killing spree.
The film also introduces Tommy Jarvis (Corey Feldman), a young boy who serves as a major foil to Jason and would return as the protagonist of the following two installments.
50. The Mutilator (1984)
TV-MA | 86 min | Horror, Thriller
A college student, who accidentally killed his mother as a child, decides to take his friends to his father's fishing cabin during fall break, not knowing that his crazed father is stalking the place.
Directors: Buddy Cooper, John Douglass | Stars: Matt Mitler, Ruth Martinez, Bill Hitchcock, Connie Rogers
Votes: 6,209
Yes, the acting is horrible and no, it does nothing to further the genre, but those should be the last reasons to catch this flick.
It hearkens back to a time when the real stars of horror cinema were the effects, with each kill representing a new creative challenge for the makeup maestros.
Yes, the Mutilator is bloodthirsty enough to keep the gorehounds happy.
51. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
R | 79 min | Horror, Thriller
Little Billy witnesses his parents getting killed by Santa after being warned by his senile grandpa that Santa punishes those who are naughty. Now Billy is 18 and out of the orphanage, and he has just become Santa himself.
Director: Charles E. Sellier Jr. | Stars: Lilyan Chauvin, Gilmer McCormick, Toni Nero, Robert Brian Wilson
Votes: 18,814 | Gross: $2.49M
52. The Initiation (1984)
R | 97 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An amnesiac sorority member who has been plagued by a recurring nightmare is stalked alongside other coeds by a killer in a deserted department store where they are completing a hazing ritual.
Directors: Larry Stewart, Peter Crane | Stars: Vera Miles, Clu Gulager, Daphne Zuniga, James Read
Votes: 4,486
53. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
R | 87 min | Horror
A teenage boy is haunted in his dreams by deceased child murderer Freddy Krueger, who is out to possess him in order to continue his reign of terror in the real world.
Director: Jack Sholder | Stars: Robert Englund, Mark Patton, Kim Myers, Robert Rusler
Votes: 77,453 | Gross: $30.00M
Five years after Freddy's apparent defeat, teenager Jesse Walsh begins having recurring nightmares about Freddy Krueger after moving into the former home of Nancy Thompson from the first film.
54. Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
R | 92 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Still haunted by his past, Tommy Jarvis, who, as a child, killed Jason Voorhees, is sent to a secluded halfway house in the countryside, where the killing of a young man triggers a brutal series of murders in the area.
Director: Danny Steinmann | Stars: Melanie Kinnaman, John Shepherd, Anthony Barrile, Suzanne Bateman
Votes: 43,924 | Gross: $21.93M
5th installment in the Friday the 13th franchise.
Several years after the death of Jason Voorhees, a teenage Tommy Jarvis is tormented by nightmares of the mass murder. Meanwhile, a new hockey-masked killer begins another series of violent murders.
55. Slaughter High (1986)
R | 90 min | Horror, Thriller
Eight people are invited to their alma mater for their 10-year reunion, where a fellow former student, disfigured from a prank gone wrong, is out to seek revenge.
Directors: George Dugdale, Mark Ezra, Peter Mackenzie Litten | Stars: Caroline Munro, Simon Scuddamore, Carmine Iannaccone, Donna Yeager
Votes: 7,007
56. Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
R | 86 min | Horror, Thriller
Tommy Jarvis exhumes Jason Voorhees to cremate his corpse, but inadvertently brings him back to life instead. The newly revived killer seeks revenge, and Tommy may be the only one who can stop him.
Director: Tom McLoughlin | Stars: Thom Mathews, Jennifer Cooke, David Kagen, Kerry Noonan
Votes: 51,237 | Gross: $19.47M
Continuing on from the events of Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, the plot follows Jason after he is unwittingly resurrected by Tommy and returns to Crystal Lake for a new killing spree.
In resurrecting Jason, McLoughlin made him an explicitly supernatural force for the first time in the series. This version of Jason, an undead and more powerful superhuman, would become the standard depiction for the rest of the series.
57. April Fool's Day (1986)
R | 89 min | Horror, Mystery
Nine college students staying at a friend's remote island mansion begin to fall victim to an unseen murderer over the April Fool's Day weekend, but nothing is as it seems.
Director: Fred Walton | Stars: Deborah Foreman, Griffin O'Neal, Clayton Rohner, Jay Baker
Votes: 18,396 | Gross: $12.95M
58. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
R | 96 min | Fantasy, Horror
A psychiatrist familiar with knife-wielding dream demon Freddy Krueger helps teens at a mental hospital battle the killer who is invading their dreams.
Director: Chuck Russell | Stars: Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Craig Wasson, Patricia Arquette
Votes: 90,338 | Gross: $44.79M
A year after the events of the previous film, teenager Kristen Parker dreams she is being chased by Freddy Krueger.
59. Blood Rage (1987)
R | 82 min | Horror
A boy kills a man and accuses his twin brother of the murder, and the innocent brother ends up institutionalized, while his psychotic twin goes free. 10 years later, the innocent twin escapes, which triggers his brother into killing again.
Director: John Grissmer | Stars: Louise Lasser, Mark Soper, Julie Gordon, Jayne Bentzen
Votes: 5,741
60. A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
R | 93 min | Horror
Freddy Krueger returns once again to terrorize the dreams of the remaining Dream Warriors, as well as those of a young woman who may be able to defeat him for good.
Director: Renny Harlin | Stars: Robert Englund, Rodney Eastman, John Beckman, Kisha Brackel
Votes: 61,660 | Gross: $49.37M
Freddy Krueger reappears in the dreams of Kristen Parker, Joey Crusel, and Roland Kincaid. After completing his revenge against the families who killed him, Krueger uses Kristen's best friend, Alice Johnson, to gain access to new victims in order to sate his murderous needs.
61. Friday the 13th: The New Blood (1988)
R | 88 min | Horror, Thriller
Jason Voorhees is accidentally freed from his watery prison by a telekinetic teenager. Now, only she can stop him.
Director: John Carl Buechler | Stars: Terry Kiser, Jennifer Banko, John Otrin, Susan Blu
Votes: 42,371 | Gross: $19.17M
Set years after the events of "Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives", Jason must battle a teenage girl with psychokinetic abilities.
62. Child's Play (1988)
R | 87 min | Horror, Thriller
A struggling single mother unknowingly gifts her son a doll imbued with a serial killer's consciousness.
Director: Tom Holland | Stars: Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, Brad Dourif
Votes: 116,777 | Gross: $33.24M
The success of Child's Play spawned a franchise that includes six sequels, merchandise, comic books, and a reboot film in 2019.
63. Maniac Cop (1988)
R | 85 min | Action, Crime, Horror
A killer dressed in a police uniform begins murdering innocent people on the streets of New York City.
Director: William Lustig | Stars: Tom Atkins, Bruce Campbell, Laurene Landon, Richard Roundtree
Votes: 20,193 | Gross: $0.67M
The film was followed by two sequels, Maniac Cop 2 (1990) and Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence (1993).
64. Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988)
R | 80 min | Comedy, Horror
A sex-changed slasher returns as a camp counselor.
Director: Michael A. Simpson | Stars: Pamela Springsteen, Renée Estevez, Tony Higgins, Valerie Hartman
Votes: 13,351
The film takes place five years after the events of the original (from 1983), and features serial killer Angela, working as a counselor, murdering misbehaving teenagers at another summer camp.
The film references various horror franchises, such as Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
65. Cheerleader Camp (1988)
R | 89 min | Comedy, Horror, Thriller
A group of cheerleaders become the targets of an unknown killer at a remote summer camp.
Director: John Quinn | Stars: Betsy Russell, Leif Garrett, Lucinda Dickey, Lorie Griffin
Votes: 3,959
66. A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989)
R | 89 min | Fantasy, Horror
The pregnant Alice finds Freddy Krueger striking through the sleeping mind of her unborn child, hoping to be reborn into the real world.
Director: Stephen Hopkins | Stars: Robert Englund, Lisa Wilcox, Kelly Jo Minter, Danny Hassel
Votes: 50,684 | Gross: $22.17M
5th installment in the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" series.
The film follows Krueger, using a now pregnant Alice Johnson's baby's dreams to claim new victims.
The film's general tone is much darker than that of the previous films. A blue filter lighting technique is used in most of the scenes.
67. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
R | 100 min | Adventure, Horror, Thriller
Jason Voorhees is accidentally awakened from his watery grave and ends up stalking a ship full of graduating high-school students headed to Manhattan, New York.
Director: Rob Hedden | Stars: Jensen Daggett, Kane Hodder, Todd Caldecott, Tiffany Paulsen
Votes: 43,089 | Gross: $14.34M
The eighth installment in the Friday the 13th film series, it follows Jason as he stalks a group of high school graduates on a ship en route to New York City.
68. Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (1989)
R | 80 min | Comedy, Horror
After murdering a young girl, Angela Baker assumes her identity and travels to Camp New Horizons, built on the grounds of the camp she terrorized the year before, and starts killing again.
Director: Michael A. Simpson | Stars: Pamela Springsteen, Tracy Griffith, Michael J. Pollard, Mark Oliver
Votes: 9,430
Taking place one year after the events in the previous film (from 1988), it again follows the same transgender serial killer Angela targeting more teenagers at another summer camp.
69. Intruder (1989)
R | 83 min | Horror, Thriller
The overnight stock crew of a local supermarket find themselves being stalked and slashed by a mysterious maniac.
Director: Scott Spiegel | Stars: Liz Kern, Renée Estevez, Dan Hicks, David Byrnes
Votes: 11,157
70. Child's Play 2 (1990)
R | 84 min | Horror, Thriller
While Andy's mother is admitted to a psychiatric hospital, the young boy is placed in foster care, and Chucky, determined to claim Andy's soul, is not far behind.
Director: John Lafia | Stars: Alex Vincent, Jenny Agutter, Gerrit Graham, Christine Elise
Votes: 57,670 | Gross: $28.50M
Set two years after the first film, Chucky continue his pursuit for Andy Barclay, who is placed in foster care.
71. Maniac Cop 2 (1990)
R | 90 min | Action, Crime, Horror
A supernatural, maniac killer cop teams up with a Times Square serial killer.
Director: William Lustig | Stars: Robert Davi, Claudia Christian, Michael Lerner, Bruce Campbell
Votes: 8,646
Maniac Cop 2 was released direct-to-video in 1990, and received mixed-to-positive reviews, with many considering it as an improvement over its predecessor.
72. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
R | 89 min | Fantasy, Horror
Dream-haunting Freddy Krueger returns once again to prowl the nightmares of Springwood's last surviving teenager, and of a woman whose personal connection to Krueger may mean his doom.
Director: Rachel Talalay | Stars: Robert Englund, Lisa Zane, Shon Greenblatt, Lezlie Deane
Votes: 51,000 | Gross: $34.87M
6th installment in the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" series.
Originally intended to be the final installment of the series; Wes Craven's New Nightmare was released three years later but takes place outside the series canon. A canonical crossover/sequel, Freddy vs. Jason, was released in 2003.
73. Child's Play 3 (1991)
R | 90 min | Horror, Thriller
Chucky returns for revenge against Andy, the young boy who defeated him, and now a teenager living in a military academy.
Director: Jack Bender | Stars: Justin Whalin, Perrey Reeves, Jeremy Sylvers, Travis Fine
Votes: 46,193 | Gross: $14.96M
The story takes place eight years following the events of Child's Play 2. Andy, now a teenager, must face Chucky once again.
74. Candyman (1992)
R | 99 min | Horror, Thriller
The Candyman, a murderous soul with a hook for a hand, is accidentally summoned to reality by a skeptic grad student researching the monster's myth.
Director: Bernard Rose | Stars: Virginia Madsen, Xander Berkeley, Tony Todd, Kasi Lemmons
Votes: 100,172 | Gross: $25.79M
Followed by two sequels, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995) and Candyman: Day of the Dead (1999).
75. Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence (1992)
R | 85 min | Action, Horror
A priest practicing the Voodoo arts resurrects Matt Cordell, who takes his badge and comes back from the dead to do his bidding.
Director: William Lustig | Stars: Robert Davi, Robert Z'Dar, Caitlin Dulany, Gretchen Becker
Votes: 5,059
76. Jason Goes to Hell (1993)
R | 87 min | Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Serial killer Jason Voorhees' supernatural origins are revealed.
Director: Adam Marcus | Stars: John D. LeMay, Kari Keegan, Kane Hodder, Steven Williams
Votes: 36,817 | Gross: $15.94M
The ninth installment of the Friday the 13th film series.
The plot follows Jason's spirit, which possesses other people to continue his killings after his death at the FBI's hands, while attempting to return to his original state by possessing a member of his bloodline.
77. Night Screams (1987)
85 min | Horror
A football star throws a party for his friends. Two insane killers escape from a nearby asylum on that same night, and in their efforts to elude authorities, wind up at the party.
Director: Allen Plone | Stars: Joseph Paul Manno, Ron Thomas, Randy Lundsford, Megan Wyss
Votes: 671
78. Berserker (1987)
R | 85 min | Horror
Six people renting a cabin in the woods of Utah run afoul of a legendary viking warrior who dons the claws and mouth of a bear, with no help in sight.
Director: Jefferson Richard | Stars: Joseph Alan Johnson, Greg Dawson, Valerie Sheldon, Shannon Engemann
Votes: 1,072
79. Blood Harvest (1987)
Not Rated | 88 min | Horror
Jill, visiting home from college, arrives to find her parents missing, and their home vandalized. Soon, matters take a turn for the worse, when she finds herself stalked, and her friends disappearing one by one.
Director: Bill Rebane | Stars: Tiny Tim, Itonia Salchek, Dean West, Lori Minnetti
Votes: 1,752
80. Sweet Sixteen (1983)
R | 90 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
Teenager Melissa moves into a small town filled with racial prejudice and bullying, and each time she meets up with one of the boys in town, they end up murdered - but who is the killer?
Director: Jim Sotos | Stars: Bo Hopkins, Susan Strasberg, Patrick Macnee, Don Stroud
Votes: 2,383
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